Once Upon a Long Ago

Originally intended to be a duet with Freddie Mercury, Mercury turned it down due to conflicting commitments and the collaboration never materialized.Luca Perasi, Paul McCartney: Music is Ideas: The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989, L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2023, {{ISBN|978-88-909122-9-0}}, pp.455-456.

Filming for the video commenced on 16 October 1987 in the Valley of Rocks, near Lynton in North Devon and concluded on 17 October. Appearing were McCartney (bass guitar), his wife Linda McCartney (synthesizer), Stan Sulzmann (saxophone), Nigel Kennedy (violin), and Chris Whitten (drums). Actor Fred Evans makes an appearance as Man with Broom. High winds and heavy rain precluded filming on the morning of the 16th so the crew filmed an indoor shot at Lynmouth town hall (this scene was not used in the final cut).

However, by late morning the weather had improved and although still windy, conditions were good enough to film at the Valley of Rocks. A local mountaineering instructor oversaw the rigging of a ladder so McCartney could safely access the top of Castle Rock for the guitar solo scene where a two way radio in McCartney's coat was used to relay a taped recording of the song. McCartney declined the use of a safety rope but did have to ask the helicopter to not fly so close when shooting aerial footage. Nigel Kennedy was only available on the second day of filming so the video was shot out of sequence with the guitar solo and end scene shot on the first day and the band scenes shot on the second day. Castle Air of Treasure Hunt fame were tasked with carrying out the aerial filming. "Club Sandwich issue N°47/48, Spring 1988.

The song was released in four versions: two different 12" singles feature "long" and "extended" versions (mixed by George Martin and Peter Henderson, respectively); the 7-inch single and the CD single (McCartney's first) feature an edit of the long version and a B-side from each of the two 12" singles, as well as "Back on My Feet", a b-side for all four iterations; and the album version featured on All the Best! contains an alternative ending. "Back on My Feet" was also the first released song from the songwriting collaboration between McCartney and Elvis Costello. Both 12" and CD singles also featured songs from McCartney's yet to be released cover album, Снова в СССР.

"Once Upon a Long Ago" reached No. 10 in the United Kingdom Singles Chart.{{cite web|title=Official Charts: Paul McCartney|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/paul%20mccartney/|publisher=The Official UK Charts Company|access-date=2011-10-13}} The single was not released in the United States nor included on the US version of All the Best!, although it did appear on the longer UK/Canada version. The song also appeared on the promotional album Never Stop Doing What You Love. It was included on The 7″ Singles Box in 2022, which was the first time it had been included on any major US-released set.{{cite web|url=https://www.paulmccartney.com/news/paul-announces-the-7-singles-box|title='The 7" Singles Box' – Out 2 December 2022|website=PaulMcCartney.com|date=10 November 2022|access-date=5 December 2022}}

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;7-inch single (R 6170)

1. "Once Upon a Long Ago" – 4:12
2. "Back on My Feet" – 4:20

;12" single, version one (12R 6170)

1. "Once Upon a Long Ago" (Long Version) – 4:34
2. "Back on My Feet" – 4:21
3. "Midnight Special" – 3:56
4. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" – 2:51

;12" single, version two (12RX 6170)

1. "Once Upon a Long Ago" (Extended Version) – 6:06
2. "Back on My Feet" – 4:21
3. "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" – 3:15
4. "Kansas City" – 4:00

;CD single (CDR 6170)

1. "Once Upon a Long Ago" – 4:12
2. "Back on My Feet" – 4:21
3. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" – 2:51
4. "Kansas City" – 4:00

Along with the single and the All the Best! album there was also released an 18-minute VHS for sale called Once Upon a Video,[http://www.discogs.com/Paul-McCartney-Once-Upon-A-Video/release/3621662 www.discogs.com] – Paul McCartney – Once Upon A Video consisting of four music videos:

1. "Once Upon a Long Ago"
2. "Stranglehold"
3. "Pretty Little Head"
4. "We All Stand Together" – the music video was an edit of the songpart from the movie Rupert and the Frog Song

"We All Stand Together" was included on the UK/Canada-release of All the Best! along with "Once Upon a Long Ago".

• Paul McCartney – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, bass, synthesizers
• Linda McCartney – background vocals, tambourine
• Nick Glennie-Smith – keyboards
• Tim Renwick – electric guitar
• Henry Spinetti – drums
• George Martin – orchestration, mixing
• Stan Sulzmann – saxophone
• Nigel Kennedy – violin
• Adrian Brett – flute

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Category:1987 singles

Category:Paul McCartney songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Phil Ramone

Category:Songs written by Paul McCartney

Category:Music published by MPL Music Publishing

Category:Songs written for films